Everlasting Hero: The Lost Stories
by SharkAttack719
Summary: Thousands of years later, Nico and Annabeth accidentally find a scroll full of the adventures of their teacher, Percy. They find out about his past and truly about how he progressed through time. In historical events such as the Punic Wars, the Fall of Rome, and the American Civil War, Percy's adventures and influences are described. Sequel to "Everlasting Hero: The Golden Blade."
1. Introduction

**Can you believe it? I actually managed to put this up in September. All right, so I'm doing extremely well in managing my time so I'm pretty much updating around once a week. This is the introduction to "The Lost Stories." This is a collection of short stories (actually are more like novellas) that I am putting together. This introduction chapter gives you sort of a sneak peak of the future, of what I have planned for the PJO series and HoO series. In any case, you see here the stories that I am going to do. Three of them I thought of myself, the three famous historical events. However, the fourth one was a suggestion by a reader. He said that he would be extremely honoured if I added this into the collection of stories, so I felt kind. Here you go Vincent Lec: "Shen Lun and the Legacy of Poseidon."**

**Everything so far has gone according to plan, even ahead of plan in some cases. Anyway, you all probably came here after reading the prologue of the previous story, the Trojan War story. Tell me here what you guys think of it! If you already told me by reviewing on the other story, congratulations! You know how to review. Anyways, I give somewhat of a brief summary of each story and the idea of Roman demigods is introduced to—OH SHOOT! I shouldn't spoil what goes on in this introduction, but whatever. You can figure it out quite quickly. I hope you enjoy this little story that I am putting up. As soon as I finish this series of stories, I will work on the Titan War. I promise.**

**Thanks to all for reading,  
SharkAttack719**

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Nico di Angelo frowned as he reached up towards the shelf. "Where did this come from," he muttered to himself.

Pulling the ancient scroll out, he opened it. Still frowning, he read, "_The lost stories of Perseus._ Percy's never told me about this before. What in my father's name is all of this?" Looking down the scrolled page, he saw a few different titles. "_The Punic Wars. The Fall of Rome. The American Civil War. Shen Lun and the Legacy of Poseidon._"

Quickly, Nico looked around to make sure that there was no one around. Then, running, he made his way out to find Annabeth. Considering the Titan War was over, she was probably quite busy doing architect stuff, but he figured that she was free enough to deal with this. _This_ was important.

He jogged down to the Athena cabin and knocked on the door. Malcolm opened it up.

"Nico? What are you doing here?"

"Have you seen Annabeth?"

"Uh, she's on the porch of the Big House with Chiron, I think. Why?"

"I found something important. I figured she would want to know this."

"Know what?" Malcolm's eyes widened slightly in interest.

"I'm not certain, but I'll make sure Annabeth and I tell you if we deduce what the files mean. I promise that."

"Look at you, using big words."

"It's the price of hanging around Annabeth."

"I'll let you go to your work."

"All right. Thanks, Malcolm."

With that, Nico burst into action and ran to the porch of the Big House. There, he found Annabeth and Chiron discussing something about statues on Olympus. Nico rushed onto the deck and slammed the scroll across the table.

Annabeth looked up at him angrily. "Thanks, Nico. What do you want?"

"Look at the scroll!" he exclaimed.

Chiron's eyes widened as Annabeth opened the scroll. He stayed silent as Annabeth's mouth gaped open.

"_The Punic Wars_," she read. "_Two great nations in the Western Mediterranean, Carthage and Rome, fight to the death as conflicts explode across Sicily and Iberia. Most historians know little about what truly happened. What influence did Percy have in this war that caused this outcome?_"

"The Punic Wars?" asked Nico.

"Carthage against Rome. Exactly what it says. _The Fall of Rome. In the ancient tale of the fall of the great Roman Empire, no one accounts for who exactly the barbarians are. Greek demigods led in dangerous adventures against their enemies and counterparts in Rome. With Percy at the lead, nothing can go wrong, can it?_"

"Enemies in Rome?" questioned Nico.

Annabeth gave Chiron a questioning look. "What does that mean, Chiron?"

Shaking his head, he grimly said, "I cannot tell you child. That, I believe you may have to figure out on your own. I must be going now." His mood suddenly changing, he rolled away in his wheelchair into the Big House.

Shaking her head, her eyes racing at a million miles per hour, she went on to the next title. "_The American Civil War_. _Union against Confederates, Greeks against Romans. The two demigod factions fight a deadly war against each other. Victory can only come to one side. Will Percy's battle prowess save the Greeks from the Romans' organized military?_"

"Roman demigods?" Nico asked. "There are Roman demigods?"

"It seems so... but I've never heard of them before." Annabeth looked baffled. "I wonder..."

"The last one is something like _Shen Lun and the Legacy of Poseidon_, right?"

"Yeah. _A legacy of Poseidon arrives at Camp Jupiter when all goes awry. He isn't supposed to be there. He should have been somewhere else. Luckily for him, there is one person that can save him from a horrible fate when disaster strikes: Perseus_."

"What do you think these all are?"

"I don't know... but let's find out."

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**Hey everyone,**

**Hope you enjoy this chapter. Remember to tell me if you like it or not.**

**I apologize for any grammatical errors in the chapter above and if any historical facts are actually wrong. I have spent my time looking through different websites, and even a couple of books, but the story that will continue may have incorrect historical info. Still, I believe it just adds to the effect.**

**Thanks a bunch,  
SharkAttack719**


	2. The Punic Wars: Part 1

**So the first story is "The Punic Wars." Have fun reading this and I hope this is a good enough first chapter. This is simply Percy's life between the end of Mycenaean Greece and the war between Rome and Carthage. So, review and tell me if this looks promising. See you guys when I finish writing the next part of this story.**

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**The Punic Wars—Part 1**

**Percy**

**218 B.C.E.**

Thirty years seemed like a long time to go from training a hero to watching that very hero die right in front his eyes.

The next thing Percy knew, nearly nine hundred years passed in what seemed like the blink of an eye. Two hundred years ago, generals like Themistocles and Leonidas led defenses against the Persian invaders from the east. Percy had watched them and aided them in their efforts. The Greeks won those battles.

One hundred years ago, a Macedonian who proclaimed himself a descendant of Heracles named Alexander the Great, using a new battle formation introduced by his father, Philip II of Macedon, called a sarissa phalanx. Admittedly, Percy had wondered if Philip was actually a child of Athena. Of course, he was proven wrong when he first saw the king.

As he had learned from living for centuries, children of Athena had blonde hair and grey eyes. If they didn't have those easily distinguishable features, they were not children of Athena. In historical records, however, they had their appearances changed so that they wouldn't be singled out by historians. Percy had known many children of Athena and helped them very much over the years.

In any case, Alexander conquered much of the known world, at least, most of the eastern world. The Greeks only had territory on Thrinacia, or as it is known now, Sicily. They ruled over the kingdom of Syracuse and bordered a powerful naval civilization called Carthage. Greece tried to keep out of most affairs with Carthage, but once they got into a stalemate of a war called the Greek-Punic Wars.

The one thing that was true, though, was that Alexander the Great and his father were descendants of Zeus. Their ancestor was an unknown man simply because he lived in Macedon and most Greeks viewed Macedonians as lesser peoples. Those were the ignorant mortals. Demigods and descendants of demigods knew the true threat that other civilizations and peoples proposed.

Percy always saw one step ahead, though. He could see what was happening before it came. Usually, he would try to stop it, which would only make things worse. He had also figured that his fatal flaw would come to haunt him in the future.

Even though it was a stupid flaw, he still figured that he knew what the best thing was for someone to do. Despite how hard he tried, it was just a part of who he was. A negative trait that came with that flaw was slight selfishness.

But there was little he could do now.

Greece still existed, of course, the Achaean and Aetolian Leagues still fighting against one another. But it had slowly been torn apart. Greece's fatal flaw were its demigod children. As much as they detested the Macedonians, Carthaginians and Romans, all three of them being great powers in the world, when there was peace with these different civilizations they fought amongst one another. Usually it would be Athens against Sparta, but now, in 218 B.C., they were working together to fight against Thebes, Corinth and Argos. All children of Athena fought for the Aetolian League, the Athens-Sparta coalition. Most children of Ares and Apollo fought for the Achaean League. Disagreements were too much for Percy and Chiron to both handle.

Long ago, Percy had broken an oath to keep another promise safe. He figured that because he was no longer promising to be the _Prostatis Hellas_, it would be okay for him to not get involved in the conflict. He managed to get some of the demigods under control, but some were to prideful and ambitious to stop. Instead, Percy had to focus his attention on the Western Mediterranean where a rising power and a risen power had recently fought a war: the First Punic War.

It was a decisive Roman victory. That was the part that made Percy bitter. He remembered the prophecy from so long ago, the one that predicted "the end of the beginning and the beginning of the end."

He obviously knew what it meant. The end of Troy, and Percy's heroics in betraying his own by saving Aeneas and becoming the wrath of the gods, killing all the Greeks he could that sacked the gods' temples. The gods, as soon as the war was over, had switched to a completely new form. At that time, because Italy was called Ausonia, he referred to them as Ausonian gods, and before that, Trojan gods.

After Romulus and Remus with Lupa in around 800 B.C.E., and the founding of Rome back when Archaic Greece had emerged, and when Carthage was settled by Dido, they were called the Roman gods. Percy knew he didn't have a single drop of Roman blood in him, and he knew he had defied the Roman gods for a long time.

_Beware the one called Veneris and the one called Mavros_.

Venus and Mars, or as the Greeks called them, Aphrodite and Ares. It wasn't long before the gods had two forms. He saw Jupiter, Mars, Juno and Bellona gain power. He saw Neptune, Pluto and Minerva lose power. And they were different in their different forms... aside from Jupiter.

Mars was more intelligent than Ares inheriting Athena's battle prowess, though not her complete wisdom and intelligence. Juno became a sign of hope and wore a goatskin cloak, a sign of war. Bellona was born out of seemingly nothing. She was a war goddess who simply filled Athena's position.

Neptune was regarded less as a sea god and an earthquake god. The Romans viewed him more of an equestrian. They still respected him, but they were more fearful of him because of the treacherous waters of the Mediterranean. Pluto became less associated with the dead and more about underground riches. He was still extremely bitter, though, about not being able to go to Olympus. And Minerva changed the most. She was stripped of her battle power and was turned into a simple advisor, a goddess of crafts and wisdom.

And because of their stricter, more warlike personalities, there were less Roman demigods. However, _every single_ descendant of the Roman gods was accounted for in the mighty civilization. The Greeks were far more relaxed and loose about that, some never being able to know if they were truly descendants of the gods.

The main point was that Hellenistic Greece has lost all of its power. The Greek demigods were in conflict and turmoil, spread across the world. Percy had lost control, which was something he didn't mind. Sometimes he couldn't even control himself.

Classical Greece had already passed, Sparta already finished its turn as capital of ancient Greece. It was Thebes' turn now, hence why Sparta and Athens allied in the most recent wars. And since it was Hellenistic times, the Greek demigods had to resort to collaborating with enemies to win their own personal wars.

Percy figured that the best way to start the Greco-Roman relationship was to be nice. He _had_, in fact, helped their ancestor, Aeneas, escape from the burning wreckage of Troy. Though the Greek demigods had yet to hear back from him, he knew that finding out about the Romans would be tough.

It was extremely hard. They had demigod security everywhere. Papers were needed, and you needed to be able to speak fluent Latin to get in. Luckily, there were Romans would had been exiled and he learned from them. Then, when he got in, he realized that there was nearly no way that the Roman demigods would be friendly.

As much as they respected Athenian culture and arts, Thebes' power, and Sparta's military prowess, they thought of the Greeks as threats. So far, Percy's companions thought no more and no less than "a different peoples."

So now, he planned to infiltrate Roman and destroy them using Carthage, and then he would try to get the Seleucids to attack the Macedonians. Greece would be her own power on the Mediterranean.

His first job, though, was to get the attention of Hannibal Barca. It wouldn't be too hard considering Percy knew his father, Hamilcar Barca, who nearly won in the First Punic War. It ended in Roman victory, though, after the Roman senate took the blueprints of a shipwrecked Carthaginian quinquereme and made their own ships. They were not as well built, but they did their job. Still, the Romans did not like much of their navy and preferred to stay as a land power.

Hannibal, at the moment, was in Iberia with his cavalry commander Maharbal, and his younger brothers Mago and Hasdrubal, who were both infantry commanders. Percy had gotten word from an old friend named Zoë that they were planning to march forward towards Gaul soon. It was early-spring of 218 B.C.E., so Percy presumed that they expected to leave sometime in late-spring.

Watching over the city of Rome, he looked as consuls Publius Cornelius Scipio Sr. and Tiberius Sempronius Longus hurriedly walked through the streets. At their side was the praetorian guard and the young Publius Cornelius Scipio Jr. They looked as though they were speaking of something private, but Percy knew exactly what they were truly thinking.

Hannibal's time in Carthago Nova was over. It seemed the Romans had their own spies. Percy watched the younger Publius Cornelius Scipio break from the ranks and begin running toward the gates of the great city.

Knowing it was not time to strike yet, he leaped down from his spot on Rome's rooftops. Making sure he wasn't seen, he crawled through the alleys of Rome towards the front gates. Then, doing what he did best, he scaled the walls and hopped over. Silently and deadly, he crept away from the city limits. His cloak covered his body, giving him camouflage.

Expertly, he slid down to the ground and slithered his way to the nearby farming villages. Freezing when he needed to so that he was not caught by Roman legionnaires, he made his way to the fishing port down by the sea.

Flipping his cloak off and discarding it into an alley, he now appeared as a simple Roman citizen. He wore a simple wool robe over a grey Roman tunic and walked down to the docks. Slipping the harbour patrol some denarii, he took a boat and took off.

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Stopping in Gaul, he found the boat that he had left hiding under a pile of sticks and leaves. Taking the clothing that he kept in the boat, he changed. First, he wore a clean white Greek tunic (There is a difference!). After the tunic, he placed a leather cuirass on his upper body. Light leather elbow guards and knee guards were after the cuirass. The last component was the Carthaginian-styled helmet that he managed to steal from the Romans. It was much like a Greek or Roman helmet except for the fact that the plates that covered the sides of the face were gone and the helmet slid down to protect his neck.

Covering up the Roman rental boat, he took his own boat to the foothills of the Pyrenees. He clipped Anaklusmos to his hair, slipped Aegis onto his wrist, and slung his quiver over his shoulder.

The ride was relatively short considering he was the son of Poseidon, but that was beside the point.

Getting off, he made his way into the forest. He came close to the path that the native tribes took through the area. Distant fighting could easily be heard if he was quiet. Obviously, the Carthaginians were trying to have full control of southern Iberia so that they could have a strong foothold to launch off of.

Summoning his bow, Percy nocked an arrow. Creeping toward the battle, he noticed that the Carthaginians were being attacked by the native tribes with arrows. When Percy looked toward the Carthaginian line, he noticed Hannibal sending his two brother with smaller parts of the army to the sides to ambush the archers. It was a good idea, but not good enough. Hannibal didn't seem to notice the tribesmen hiding in the trees.

As Mago and Hasdrubal led both of their parts of the army to the sides, the tribesmen leaped out of the trees like maniacs and attacked savagely. Mago and Hasdrubal were pushed back, though the Carthaginians quickly recovered. They slowly gave ground as the tribesmen pushed further on.

Percy knew that the only way that they would be able to gain a full advantage was if the missile line of the Iberian tribes were broken.

"_Screaming arrow_," he muttered in Greek.

The arrow he nocked shimmered and it turned a silvery color. The a drew back and let the arrow fly. As the arrow whizzed away from him, it seemed to scream bloody murder. Bullseye! It tore through the face of a man in the center of the archery line and exploded. Everyone around fell to the ground covering their ears. Many of the Carthaginians and Iberian tribesmen turned to see what had happened.

Hannibal didn't. Immediately, he ordered his troops to push forward, and out of the forest a horn blew. Reinforcing cavalry had arrived. Hasdrubal, on the far end, pushed the Iberian tribesmen back, using their shock against them. Mago, on the other hand, was having a little difficulty. He and the men around him were progressing, but those behind were falling, and if Mago went any further, he would become completely surrounded by the tribesmen.

Percy, wishing his bow away, took Anaklusmos out and charged the Iberian flank as a one man charge. They didn't know what hit them. Tearing through their backs, Percy attacked like an entire unit. Anyone who dared to challenge him ended up dead only dealing minimal damage to him. The worst wound he got was a deep gash to his shield arm. But Aegis wasn't even out.

Slowly, the Iberians were surrounded and pushed to the center. There were barely one thousand Iberian tribesmen left when their general lifted the flag of surrender.

However, Hannibal's mind wasn't wondering about what to do with the surrendering forces. Keeping his men surrounding the tribesmen, he walked up to Percy, who held Anaklusmos by the thumb as he held his wound.

"Who are you?" asked the puzzled Carthaginian general in the language of Punic.

Lifting his head to regard the Punic warrior, Percy smiled. "I don't speak your language too well. But I am a friend to help. My name is Percy, and we both have one common enemy: Rome."

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**Hey everyone,**

**Hope you enjoy this chapter. Remember to tell me if you like it or not.**

**I apologize for any grammatical errors in the chapter above and if any historical facts are actually wrong. I have spent my time looking through different websites, and even a couple of books, but the story that will continue may have incorrect historical info. Still, I believe it just adds to the effect.**

**Thanks a bunch,  
SharkAttack719**


	3. The Punic Wars: Part 2

**KA-BOOM!**

**WOW! This chapter is longer than the current story itself. This is ranging at around 4,800 words and the story currently, or at least before this update, is 2,611 words. Longer chapter, huh? Well, I got some reviews saying that the first chapter was kind of boring. Well, yeah. It is kind of supposed to set the set. If I could write one long short story, I would but I don't want to stuff everything into one. It would critique myself too much. Anyway, here's the second chapter. The story is definitely going to end before the end of the Second Punic War but you get to see the tale of how Hannibal and Percy interacted. There was a reason why Hannibal never sacked Rome in real history aside from his lack of siege equipment. You'll find out soon. Conflict has risen. Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**ALSO! IF YOU HAVE TIME, CHECK OUT THE STORY IDEA THAT I HAVE POSTED UP ON MY PAGE. IT IS JUST AN IDEA AND I WILL DEFINITELY PRIORITIZE THIS FIRST; HOWEVER, IF YOU THINK I SHOULD CONTINUE THAT IDEA, FEEL FREE TO FAVORITE, FOLLOW, OR REVIEW ON THAT STORY. THANKS SO MUCH FOR READING MY STORIES YOU ONE HUNDRED SOMETHING PEOPLE!**

**SharkAttack719**

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**The Punic Wars—Part 2**

**Hannibal Barca**

**218 B.C.E.**

The strange teenager, Percy, graciously introduced himself. Something about the young man seemed out of place, as if his age didn't match his voice. His bright sea green eyes pierced Hannibal's own eyes like daggers.

Despite the fact that the man had "helped" him win the battle, he was still doubtful. He looked like a foreigner, and not a good kind either. He was definitely from the Mediterranean, Roman or Greek. Maybe he was Macedonian like the upstart Alexander the Great. In either case, Hannibal didn't trust this Percy.

"An unusual name for a Latin or Hellenic man," Hannibal noted out loud. "You don't look big enough to be from the far north."

"Perseus," he said. "I am from Athens."

So his assumptions were right. The man was from the Mediterranean. He could have been Roman, but he just didn't have the look of a Roman. Typically, from what he had seen, the Romans tried to follow their gods by bleaching their hair. Stupid gods they were: Jupiter, Juno, Mars...

Apparently, the Roman gods were supposed to have lighter hair and lighter eyes just because it was rarer to find someone like that in the Mediterranean race. The Greeks, however, kept their dark hair. Their gods were more dark-haired. Aristotle, an ignorant Greek man who was the teacher of Alexander the Great, had once proclaimed that Greeks were the perfect race as they had nice olive skin, not too fair like those to the north and not too dark like Carthaginians and Egyptians.

It was quite insulting, but Rome was Carthage's only enemy. The Greeks would never be able to withstand Roman invasion not to mention Carthaginian mercenaries. They were too disorganized and in too much of disarray to be able to function properly.

Hannibal wondered why a Greek had come so far to the west to help Carthage against Rome. And there was only one of him, unless he had a camp of warriors hiding in the forest somewhere.

"Are you alone?"

"Yes. I am alone."

Hannibal took a look back at Mago and Hasdrubal. Maharbal rode up to the scene on his horse with a questioning look in his eyes.

"My lord," he said. "Who is this?"

"Percy from Athens. He is Greek."

"And I am here to eat monkeys," Percy replied. Then he frowned. "Wait. I am really bad at Punic. _I am here to help you_."

"Want us to speak in Latin?" asked Mago in a low growl. "You might know that better than our 'barbarian' language."

The Greek glared at him fiercely, his eyes swirling like a hurricane. "I never said your language was barbarian. I know more things about you than you can ever imagine. Hamilcar was a good man, and I expect that Hannibal is too!"

Hannibal narrowed his eyes and began to speak in near-fluent Latin. "Hamilcar? My father? What do you mean 'he was a good man'?"

"There is no use arguing on a field of battle," the Greek sighed in an exasperated tone and replied in Latin. "Let us either ride to the nearest city or set up camp. Do not worry. I brought my own food so you do not have to share with me. I promise to Baal-hamon and Tanit that I bring a proposition of war against the Romans.

Taking his words into consideration, he yelled to the army, "Return to our camp near the plains. Mago, Hasdrubal and Maharbal! Come with me."

Percy nodded approvingly as the mercenary army cried in victory. The surrendering Iberians dropped their heads in shame of defeat. The army, retreating back to their previous camp, brought their prisoners to individual huts and tied them tightly with iron shackles.

Hannibal gestured to his commanders to follow him whilst walking alongside Percy. They made their way to his hut and walked inside. Servants immediately rushed up to help him, offering to take off his armor and bathe him.

"Later, Livia," he said.

Percy frowned and scrunched his eyebrows as he looked between the two. Ignoring the look, he gestured to the table. Seats encircled the table. There were enough seats to sit all five of them, and then some.

Hannibal sat down at the head chair with Hasdrubal and Maharbal to his immediate sides. Mago was seated next to Hasdrubal, and Percy took the seat at the end, facing Hannibal.

The Carthaginian general tried studying his face, looking for any signs of weaknesses or habits. He found virtually none. Percy's eyes were like swirling pits of mist that fogged up the view. His face was passive, neither happy nor sad, and he sat tapping his foot or bobbing his head erratically. Hannibal guessed that he wasn't one to sit for too long.

"What makes you think we will trust you?" he burst suddenly in Punic. "Just because you say you are an enemy of Rome and are from Greece, does not mean that you are our ally. How do you know my father?"

The Greek looked around at the servants who stood alongside the room obviously waiting to help their masters.

"Leave!" he barked in a wolfish tone.

Going wide-eyed, the servants scurried out of the tent like mice chasing after cheese. That in itself made Hannibal go wide-eyed. No one besides himself could make those steadfast servants leave. But a part of the Carthaginian general knew that the tone in Percy's voice was unmistakable. He became slightly wary of him.

When the servants were gone, the Greek leaned in closer to the other four and said in Latin in a dark, low voice. "What is said in this hut, stays in the hut. If I hear anyone speaking about what I am about to say, the one who spoke this truth will be dead before sunrise tomorrow. You are right. I am not your ally; however, that doesn't mean I don't want to be your ally. For the time being, of course."

Scowling, Hannibal replied, "Very well. What is this 'truth' you must speak of, _Greek_."

"I am immortal," he said.

For a second, silence enveloped the room. Then, Hasdrubal, Mago and Maharbal exploded into laughter. Hannibal, for once, wasn't amused. Percy sounded like he was dead serious.

"Immortal?" asked the Carthaginian.

"Yes. Those gods that you call silly, the Roman and Greek ones, are truly real. They exist in the heavens right now."

"Impossible!"

"Your gods, Baal and Tanit, must have been based off of the Greek gods back in Phoenicia. Or maybe off the Egyptian gods, who exist alongside the Greeks and Roman gods. Both sides try not to interact much with one another, but what I say is the truth."

"The Greek gods are real?" laughed Mago. "Prove it to us. Show us that those gods truly exist."

The Greek turned toward the potted plant at the center of the table. In the dirt sat one beautiful rose, one that Hannibal had received from his wife back in Carthago Nova when he left for the expedition.

"Lady Demeter, goddess of the grains, Lady Flora, Roman goddess of flowers, and Persephone, goddess of spring! Prove to the unbelievers that you do exist by killing this rose and then bringing it back to life."

Hannibal stared intensely at the flower thinking that nothing would happen and he would still have the rose that his wife gave him, but he was quickly proven wrong.

Immediately after that positive thought, the flower wilted, its petals turning grey, and the entire flower shrivelling up until it was barely anything to look at. Hannibal turned to look at Percy with outrage, but the Greek's concentration was focused on the flower.

When Hannibal looked back, he saw in amazement that the flower was growing back, the plant regaining its strength and color.

"Do you have a brazier of some sort?" asked Percy suddenly.

"Uh, yes," he mumbled. "In the back."

"Thank you."

As the Greek went away to the back of the tent, Maharbal leaned forward with his eyes wide open. "That is crazy. Do you believe what he says? That he is immortal?"

"I am not certain," replied Hannibal in a quiet whisper. "He says he knows my father, so maybe he truly does know. Apparently, either the gods he speaks of are real, or he can control plants for some weird reason."

"Why not ask him about our father?" suggested Hasdrubal. "He will definitely know something if you ask him something personal."

"Very well."

When Percy arrived back at the table, Hannibal immediately asked, "So you claim to know our father. Then name my youngest brother and what happened to him. Why does he not join us on this campaign?"

"Hanno is dead, died as a young child when your eldest sister was getting married. He was playing around when he fell into the river, and not knowing how to swim, died in the futile attempt. Hamilcar found his dead body near the Bay of Carthago and that is how you know how he died."

Pushing himself back into his seat, Hannibal took a deep breath. So the Greek did know what had actually happened.

It was clearly evident, seeing as the boy was just seventeen, and Hannibal himself was nearly thirty years of age. There was no other possibility other than him being immortal as he didn't seem like a ghost or a messenger from the gods. He looked as though he worked alone, washing his grief and misery by fighting. War looked like all this man knew.

"What do you get out of all of this?" he asked. "I believe your story. That you are immortal. But what is the purpose of helping us? Shouldn't you organize your own peoples first? The Greeks are heavily disorganized after the collapse of that Macedonian's empire. Why not help them?"

"Greeks are prideful, stubborn peoples," replied Percy. "They would rather die than listen to me. My own people are hard to control; however, the Romans are a threat to their safety. If I get rid of the Romans, or at least try to portray them as a powerful empire by helping you in your struggle, they will collaborate to destroy the Romans like they did against the Persians so long ago. It's all a mind game."

They stared at each other for a moment. Hannibal shouldn't have trusted this man, he knew it. But what harm could it do. The man was honest yet devious at the same time. He showed very little emotion, much like a Roman, yet Hannibal could sense the light-hearted side of him. He had once been quite happy.

"We cross the Alps before winter," Hannibal said suddenly. "Be cooperative."

Percy gave him a slight grin. "Of course."

"Set up your own tent," he ordered. "Keep at the edge of camp near the inexperienced Celtic warriors. They will need to learn how to withstand the cold. Same with the Africans. Make sure that they are really prepared."

The Greek quickly nodded before departing the hut. For a few moments, all was silent and still before Hasdrubal turned to him. "Are you out of your mind, brother? You trust that stranger with the simplest of meetings? We barely know him and you already trust him to help train the army."

"I can see that he has good intention, Hasdrubal," Hannibal replied. "And his eyes... His eyes are so much older than his age. I can see the pain that I see in that clouded mist. He hides his feelings very well. Not many can do that, not even petty Romans."

"It is not safe to trust someone like him," Hasdrubal growled. "I may have laughed when he said he was immortal, but admittedly that was hard to believe. What I can tell from him is that he has tons of patience, but if you cross that line, he will tear you to shreds. You watch when he turns his back on you. Mark my words."

"Only if Hannibal makes a stupid decision," said Maharbal, "which he won't, will the Greek decide to turn his back. That Perseus seems like a just and fair person. He looks for the good qualities in someone, and if they display mostly their bad qualities, he will not support them. It is unwise to accept him so quickly, Hannibal, but I agree. Give the boy a chance. We will truly see how smart he is."

"Zeal is what that man has," Mago interjected. "He is not cunning. He does not seem to be the one to launch a massive ambush or trick. He is zealous and has authority. You hear his tone. He makes it sound as if he is the general. He also sounds brutal, as if he has killed many men in his life. Be careful, my brother."

Hannibal put a hand to his forehead and rubbed it gently. "I really hope that this is a good decision. If he can survive the Alps, good for him. Our first challenge, however, is the Gauls. Worry about them more than the Greek. There is one Greek. There are hundreds of thousands of Gauls. Priorities."

The brothers and Maharbal nodded in defeat before they all trudged to their respective huts to sleep for the night.

Hannibal hoped that the Greek would prove worthy. Maybe they would annihilate Rome with his help. Nothing else mattered, though. Rome would fall at any cost. A pyrrhic victory they called it ever since the days of Pyrrhus of Epirus. Victories so costly that they could be considered a defeat.

In his slumber, Hannibal had dreams, wonderful dreams. Rome had fallen and he was happily living in Carthage with his lovely Iberian wife and children. Carthage ruled the Western Mediterranean happily and agreed on dividing control of the Mediterranean with Greece into the east and the west. Everything from Greece eastward was Greek territory and everything from Italy westward was Carthaginian territory.

But those hopes didn't last forever. Soon enough, his dream switched to a nightmare. He was alone in an abandoned building of some sorts. He was writing something down on a sheet of papyrus paper. There was a knock on the door and someone entered.

The man who entered had a cloak surrounding his face, though an outline of stubble could be seen from under the shadows. Darkness enveloped his voice as he spoke: "_The Romans are coming._"

"_Of course,_" Hannibal replied. "_What do you suggest? Hanging? Stabbing myself?_"

The man placed a small vial of poison on the desk. "_Poison_."

Whirling into deeper slumber, Hannibal wondered that if the Greek mythological world existed, if his dreams and hopes had been tossed into the River Styx to be left untouched forever. Would Hannibal ever succeed? After all, unless he had been lied to, he was mortal.

Line Break

"Striking a deal with the Gauls is all we've got," Hannibal said stubbornly. "Without them, we will never get through these lands safely. Even you, claiming to be immortal, cannot know the best passage through this country."

"I would still be a better bet than the Gauls," countered the Greek.

"It does not matter," replied the general. "What we need is to get to the Alps. If the Gauls betray us, we will deal with it then. Just have the men prepared. You understand that as much as I do."

"It is risky."

"What else would you have us do? Travel into Gallic traps that we are unprepared for? If we have guides, Gallic guides, they will lead us along a path so that they can ambush us. If they lead us into uncertain areas, we will be able to determine if they hold true to their word or not."

Scowling, Percy turned and marched away, back towards the other troops following. Hannibal shook his head in disappointment and surged back ahead to the Gallic guides. Accompanying them were Maharbal and Mago. Hasdrubal was governing Carthago Nova so that Iberia would not delve into chaos. There was no doubt that Hasdrubal was the best bet to control the people of the peninsula.

Two months had passed since they left Saguntum, two months and two weeks since leaving Carthago Nova. So far, they had conquered the Pyrenees and had evaded the Romans by delving north into the Rhone Valley.

Ever since then, Hannibal had enlisted the help of Gallic guides to help them through the dense forests of southern Gaul. From the beginning, Percy had thought of it as a bad and risky idea. Hannibal knew that the Gauls were as unreliable as they were brutal in battle.

"So are we nearly there?" he asked the guides in Punic.

The translator turned to the head guide and spoke in their Celtic language.

The lead guide looked at him and nodded gruffly. He turned back around and continued to stride along.

As they progressed forward, the air became colder, and Hannibal had to grab his fur coat. He put it on himself, watching as most of the higher-ranking officials followed his lead. The mercenaries had to make do with whatever they had, which was barely anything, so most of them were freezing by the time sun set.

They had made their way into a narrow passage through their journey. It was somewhat of a gorge, though not as steep. It was like a valley without the river.

It looked like the perfect place to ambush a group of tired, lumbering soldiers. Hannibal turned quickly to Mago and said, "Quickly. Go find Percy. He says he is doubtful about the Gauls. Let's see if he's right."

The translator turned to the general as Mago took off. "My lord wants to know around how many troops you have coming through the Alps as he has never really taken that into account."

Feigning his innocence of doubt, he said, "Around 38,000 infantry, 8,000 cavalry, and 37 war elephants. There are a lot of men in this army."

"All right. Thank you." The translator turned back to the guides and muttered something in their Celtic language.

They walked for another five minutes before Mago arrived back from scouting the army. He looked winded, his face red and slightly out of breath. His eyes wide, he said, "The men... they said he deserted. He's not there. I sent men all the way to the back of the army and they reported that he was nowhere to be found along with one thousand infantry. Some reported that he rushed off to the sides as we started our uphill climb."

Scowling, Hannibal cursed. "He deserts _us_ in this time? What, just because I make a decision he is not so fond of?"

"I don't know but—"

"Hannibal!" Maharbal shouted. "Everyone! Shields up!"

Jolting into action, Hannibal brought his shield up over his head. Looking around, he saw that men around him were falling to javelins and spears. He took a peek from under his shield and saw ambushing Gauls standing atop the gorge. It was almost like a double-sided plateau, the land only rising two and a half of his height.

Since the land in the middle of the valley could only fit five men standing shoulder-to-shoulder, men fell by the dozens. The ambush wasn't that large; there only seemed to be a few hundred attackers above, maybe even a thousand. But the fact that Hannibal had walked his troops into this trap made it seem all the worse.

He found himself pressed up against Mago and Maharbal, who were both squeezed against him.

"The guides are getting away!" yelled Maharbal. "They fled as soon as the trap was sprung."

"Fire!" Mago shouted.

Just then, a haze of fire-tipped javelins rained down on the front part of the army, immediately setting fire to those stupid enough to allow themselves to get attacked. The cavalry was heavily damaged at least two hundred of them perishing already. The horses were definitely gone, though the infantry number may have just risen.

Hannibal turned to look at the closest war elephant. Spears and javelins were embedded in its flesh and it made its trumpet-cry of distress. He reared on its hind legs and the men on its back were thrown off. The elephant stomped on its own troops as it continued to get pounded with arrows.

Then, one lucky arrow nailed the beast right through its eye and dug deep into its brain immediately killing it. Roaring, it fell to the ground causing more panic and death to occur around.

Fires burned all around, death and heat touching his face like a goddess caressing his cheek. Mago and Maharbal were safe, he knew that for sure, though for some around him, safety was not applicable. Death had enveloped him and they had to travel down to the depths of the afterlife.

"Shields up!" he screamed at the top of his lungs hoping that his army would hear him over the blazing of the fires.

A battle cry came over the Gauls as they rolled massive balls of flaming hay off the sides down toward the army. Luckily, it was aimed toward the small downhill section that led further southeast. Unfortunately, that mean that he, Mago and Maharbal had to leap out of the way before the flames could touch them.

Hannibal felt the heat radiating off of the ball of hay as it rolled past and almost felt as though he were being burned alive.

It did not take long for chaos to consume to front of the army. The back must have been wondering why there was a halt in the previously constant forward march. Word probably was slowly reaching the back at the carnage that was occurring at the front, but it was the least of Hannibal's worries.

His first priority was to get out of this mess. He needed to get his army out of this surprise trap and fast. He was losing men-at-arms at a rapid pace.

Suddenly, a horn blew in the distance. It sounded very much like a horn, but at the same time, Hannibal could tell it wasn't. It sounded like it was coming from the sea, like the calling of a ship.

Before he could process exactly what was happening, it began raining dead Gauls. A massive war cry came from above the gorge and the sounds of clashing swords and shields was clearly audible.

Hannibal looked straight up and in front of him where he saw the front line of an Iberian infantry ambush led by none other than the Greek push through. Stunned, he didn't realize that Maharbal was right next to him, and jumped when the cavalry commander shouted, "The guides are getting away!"

In the midst of the chaos, not much time had actually passed, and the guides were still in view. In fact, they were still in range to run onto; however, they were far past the average bowman's range.

As Percy pulled his bow out of what was seemingly thin air (though Hannibal was sure that was just a hallucination), the Carthaginian recollected the events of the precise shot back in Iberia. Percy was no novice at the art of archery.

Hannibal noticed that Percy held a composite bow, a very rare bow that could only be found in the far east. It looked as though its shape had been changed from its original. The pitch black color of the weapon radiated death, as if its string had let loose arrows that had killed many.

With a whistling shot, and a tiny flame at the front of the bow, an arrow of fire was sent flying at the fleeing guides. It caught one on the back, killing him instantly. For a split second, Hannibal swore he saw some sort of pouch attached to the arrow before a combustion of flames engulfed the rest of the crew.

Hannibal blinked in astonishment. An... an explosion was what he would call it. An explosion, something that he had never seen before, took the lives of the betraying Gauls.

Cheering another battle cry, Percy led the final push as the Gauls fled or died, giving way for Hannibal's army's safety.

"You didn't think I was going to give up that easily, did you?" asked Percy as he looked down on them grinning. Turning to bark an order, he yelled for rope.

Slowly, the nine hundred or so remaining Iberian infantry brought ropes and repelled down to the ghostly gorge. The army already on the ground wearily put out the fires and helped put dead bodies to the back.

Hannibal knew that time was limited, so he didn't give all of the warriors proper funeral rites; but to the gods, he offered some gold that he brought from Carthago Nova. Some servant-soldiers were carrying those things.

Percy came up from behind the Carthaginian and sighed. "The Gauls are deceiving. How do you think you would have gotten out of this mess without backup?"

Grudgingly, he knew that the Greek deserved the praise that he earned in helping save a lot of the army. "I _wouldn't_ have saved this many men without your help. I am grateful for the assistance in my time of need."

"Listen, the Romans will be ready for a fight when we get across these mountain ranges. They will have superior numbers and higher morale. We will have suffered much attrition from being in the mountain ranges for a long time. Strategy is all we have. It will take some of Tyche's help along with Athena's to win this war. May Jupiter never wish for your stubbornness."

"I know all of that!" replied the general haughtily.

The Greek was starting to get on his nerves. Even though they had been fighting together just moments ago, it bothered him that the Greek seemed to be so much better than him at planning. Why couldn't he have thought of ambushing the Gauls from behind? This was his army to command, not the Greek's. Percy shouldn't have any control of the army at all. But now... now that he has...

"Then apply it." Those sea green eyes swirled darkly and mysteriously. "Losing is something I have always known. It does not feel good to lose."

"I get it! Your help in this war will prove helpful! There is no need to rub it in my face!"

"All right, then." Percy raised his arms up in a sign of surrender. Backing up slowly, he said, "Prepare the men for the Alps. It's about to get really, really, really cold."

* * *

**Hey everyone,**

**Hope you enjoy this chapter. Remember to tell me if you like it or not.**

**I apologize for any grammatical errors in the chapter above and if any historical facts are actually wrong. I have spent my time looking through different websites, and even a couple of books, but the story that will continue may have incorrect historical info. Still, I believe it just adds to the effect.**

**Thanks a bunch,  
SharkAttack719**


	4. The Punic Wars: Part 3

**I haven't updated in a while because I haven't been feeling this chapter. This story isn't going exactly the way that I had hoped it had gone. I will definitely keep continuing this if you want, but what I have in mind to write about here doesn't connect to what I have written already all that well. If I were just writing regular mortal stories, like "Living Damnation," (check it out if you haven't; it's on my profile page) then it would work much better. I love ancient history now and for all of you critics out there, I _do_ tweak some parts of history to make others look better or worse. Anyways, if you want, I can still continue this, but I have totally been interested in writing the PJO timeline for a while. If you guys want me to skip this and take it down, tell me. If you guys want me to continue writing this, I will. It will just take some time. Like I said, this may not be finished until January.**

**Oh, and guess what? House of Hades is coming out Tuesday, if I am correct. I can't wait!**

**SharkAttack719**

* * *

**The Punic Wars—Part 3**

**Percy**

**218 B.C.E.**

November of the year 218 B.C.E., they found themselves in northern Italy. It had been a long journey across the Alps, but it was worth it. Hannibal's army had made it across.

It was amazing how many of the troops had survived the journey; most of them were not expected to survive. They headed into the mountain range with a total of about 38,000 infantry and 8,000 cavalry and 37 war elephants. They came out of the mountains with about 20,000 infantry, 6,000 cavalry and 20 war elephants.

The war elephants were sick, however, and that hindered their progressions. There was probably one elephant, the head elephant, that did not get sick. The Celtiberian soldiers had named the elephant Hannibal after their general because of that.

There were definitely some hindering obstacles that the army had run into on the way. Someone halfway, there was clear evidence of a previous avalanche. The pathway was blocked by large rocks that could not be moved even by the strongest of men... except maybe Heracles. But that idiot was at his pillars near the edge of the world.

Ingenuity struck Hannibal as he ordered for the wine rations and logs. For three nights, the men were camped up on the mountain, cold and tired, whilst Hannibal, Percy, Mago, Maharbal and the servants cut the rocks using fire and wine.

Along a path that was large enough to fit ten men shoulder-to-shoulder, the many of them set up logs and lit them all on fire. They watched as the fire's heat blasted against the rocks.

That wasn't it, though.

As the fire grew and grew, they waited until the rocks seemed to be soft enough. Then, using the wine rations, they dumped liquid all over the rocks. It was miraculous, ingenious technology. Hannibal called it fire-setting.

Slowly, by the third day, the rocks fractured until they could be smashed apart with the sheer strength of human shoulders. The fractured rocks collapsed down the path, cutting an even walkway for the army to pass through. It was wonderful.

But the Alpine journey was over now. The men were exhausted, emaciated and lacked supplies. Percy was used to eating very little especially from the journey with the Argonauts hundreds of years ago, so it did not have much of an effect on him.

The same usually applied to recent times. Traveling all across the world, there were periods of time when he had very, very limited amounts of food to live off of.

Food was essential in life, however, and many of the men could not withstand the cold climate of the mountains. Lots of men died from hunger or from hurling themselves off the cliff sides that they passed through. Some died from sickness. Some died from madness, Dionysus' specialty. They just couldn't handle being trapped without the warmth and comfort that they were so used to. Others left the army, no one ever knowing whether they arrived safely at the bottom of a mountain or not.

Death was far too prevalent in his life for him to feel heartbroken at every death. He hardly knew these people. He couldn't weep over their dead bodies as they passed through. The thing that made him heartbroken to an extent, however, was the weeping that those of close family and friends gave as their relatives passed away. These warriors knew each other. Their weeping softened Percy's heart to the point of near-tears.

Percy imagined what it would have been like if Zoë died. He would have been as heartbroken as the men he witnessed on the mountain. Depression settled into the troops as well. Most of them looked as if there was no hope left. It made Percy want to stand up and inspire them. He wanted them to live just as much as they did.

Death for these men was as useful as throwing a stick at a tree. They would head straight for the Fields of Asphodel. Nothing they had done was heroic. Then again, very little amounts of people had ever made it into Elysium.

"Italy, the land of the Romans," sighed Hannibal as the troops shuffled their way down the southern side of the mountain range. "The land of valleys and mountains. Smart land to settle on tactically. Lots of rivers and resources with mountains to prevent attacks from all sides."

"I helped choose it out," Percy replied sourly. "It wasn't my best choice."

The Carthaginian gave him a weird look. "How old are you, exactly?" Percy noted that there was a tone of indignation and dubiety in his voice.

Frowning again, he replied, "Old enough to know your ancestors were half Phoenician, half Nomadic."

Hannibal nodded with uncertainty before looking down at the Roman forests. "Right. So, we need to keep our heads low. The Romans won't expect to have us arrive safely over the mountains, even if we did suffer heavy losses. Regroup our troops and recruit the northern Italic tribes and we'll be ready to head south into Rome."

"Strength isn't everything," he agreed, "but it can be vitally important if they are used correctly. Most likely, the Romans will be predictable, so we will use those to exploit their weaknesses. But I do warn you, Hannibal. The Romans' army is organized like no other army the world has ever seen before. Not even Alexander the Great or the mighty Persians of the east match them in military organization. If you be unpredictable, if you change your strategy every time you fight, the Romans will be wary of you. When traveling through this land, remember, either you _find _a way, or you _make_ a way."

Hannibal breathed deeply and nodded. Without another word, the Carthaginian general jogged down the pathway of the mountain to catch up with his troops. At the head were Mago and Maharbal, who were leading the army into the forest.

"We'll be coming up on the plains soon," Percy told the troops as they walked past him. "You'll finally see food and warmer weather. Brighten up!"

Rounding up the back of the group as they exited the steep trails of the Alps, he pushed them down until they herded up at a spot near the Ticinus River in Po Valley of Cisalpine Gaul. Gallic tribes lived here, though, so the Romans weren't always right there. The hard part would be to stay out of sight of the Romans with Gallic allies so close.

Percy wondered if Hannibal would dare to march further south into Cisalpine Gaul to raise the Gauls into a revolt against the Romans. They would eventually have to go south, but convincing the Gauls... That would be a difficult task.

Percy knew that this was different. Just as the Trojan War was, just as the Greco-Persian Wars were, just as the Peloponnesian War was, a large army had to be brought to battle. This was no assassination mission. He wasn't alone; Percy had to remember that.

As the Carthaginians set up camp, Percy decided to talk a small stroll in the dark forest. It was sunny in northern Italy, and he willed the water at the Ticinus River to create a rainbow. Increasing the temperature by controlling the water's energy, the water began evaporating and mist began exuding from the surface. Percy pulled out a golden drachma and flipped it into the mist.

"_O Iris, goddess of the Rainbow, please accept my offering._"

The mist glowed.

"Show me, Zoë Nightshade of the Hunters of Artemis."

The mist shimmered as an image appeared. Zoë was standing at the edge of the Hunters' camp speaking with Artemis. Literally, she _was_ standing at the edge of the Hunters' camp speaking with Artemis. _Now_, she and the goddess were both staring at _him_.

"Percy," Zoë greeted in a rushed tone speaking in Greek.

The goddess just nodded toward him.

"Uh, hi," he muttered. "I was just going to ask if you have any leads on the Roman Senate's decisions and what not."

Zoë sighed in exasperation. "Percy, you can't expect _us_, the Hunters of Artemis, to follow up on stupid male things. But Scipio is already up in the northern Italy. You better watch out. I heard you arrived in Italy earlier."

"All right. Thanks. And just wondering... how's the hunt for the Chimera going? Bellerophon didn't do such a good job, did he?"

"Fine," Artemis said. "This beast is a challenge, but it is not impossible for my Hunters to take out. It is their hardest test yet."

"Yes," confirmed Zoë. "It will be a good test."

"Right." Percy trailed off abruptly ending the conversation. "Anyway, I should be getting back to my business. I _am_ invading on your time. Bye, Zoë. Lady Artemis."

Then, swiping his hand through the Mist, the image dissolved. He sighed before leaning back onto his backside.

Percy knew that along with all of his business, it involved dealing with men who were considered horrible by the Hunters' standards. He bitterly wished he didn't have to do anything with the men of this world, but all of man are cruel. No matter who he ran into they would be bad in one way or another.

There was also tension between him and Zoë. Percy knew Zoë was close to him, though he was still so torn between whether he loved her or not. Before, he admitted he loved her, and then they decided it was sibling love. Years later, immediately after the Trojan War, they admitted once again it was love. Over nearly a thousand years, it had rocked back and forth between the two different options.

Adding to that fact of hesitant love, Aphrodite seemed to want to set herself up with him, maybe to have an affair with him or maybe just because she liked his company, and her charm and beauty magically got him slightly interested. The only problem with that was that Percy could still feel his emotions toward Zoë.

Sighing deeply, he pushed himself back up and silently made his way back to the Carthaginian camp.

* * *

"The Romans are near, Hannibal!" Maharbal called as he rode in on his horse toward the camp. The horse whinnied as the cavalry commander reined him into a stop. "I saw them just down the Ticinus River! Downstream toward the Ligurian Sea!"

Immediately, the Carthaginian general was on his feet. "What? They're here?" Cursing in Punic, he said, "Did you see their numbers? How many men do they have?"

"I don't know their numbers," replied Maharbal. "I just saw their scout team. They saw us too, and both parties galloped back to their camps."

Percy slowly rose to his feet as Mago approached his brother. "We have to find out their numbers. If they decide to attack us at this moment, we will not be able to hold them off. As much as we are trying, the morale of the troops is still low."

"Yes, yes," Hannibal mused. After a little while, he turned to Maharbal and said, "Get six thousand cavalry troops ready. I leave before midday. You two will stay here and defend our encampment. Guard it at any costs. Inspire the troops if they should get into battle. Tell them that they either fight or die. Which sounds more appealing?"

Percy knew the correct answer. Death. If one lives by the sword, they will die by the sword. What is the point in fighting if death occurs anyway? It was a different story for himself. He couldn't die aside from combat. Fighting was his life. Nothing more, nothing less. If he sat around like an immortal king, he would be useless and a waste of immortal blood.

Along with that, Percy noticed that Hannibal didn't call him out to do something. Was it resentment? Was it doubt? Percy could never be sure; Hannibal was a complex man with a complex mind. One thing, though, that the son of Poseidon knew was that Hannibal didn't exactly enjoy Percy's presence.

Over the past two weeks that he'd been there, Hannibal had been quite wary as to what he had been doing. He often sent men to spy on him to make sure that he wasn't doing anything bad. Never once did Percy tell the complete truth of his background, but insisted on keeping them at a simple recognizable level. That must have put the Carthaginian over the top.

One thing too that Percy noticed about himself was that his hatred toward the Romans was waning. Sure, he didn't like them, but he didn't exactly hate them either. What had been his mission in the first place? Find a foreign country to attack the Romans? Show his own cousins and nephews and nieces that Romans were a bigger threat than themselves?

The Romans had assimilated to the Greek culture and admired it, in fact. There were quite a few Greek demigods who lived in Magna Graecia under the Roman rule and were okay with it. What if the Romans weren't the threat that he thought they were?

Shaking his head, he tried to think in the opposite direction. The Romans _were_ bad. They fought against the Greeks wanting vengeance from the Trojan War. Just because he had suddenly changed his mind now, doesn't mean that he didn't want the Romans gone. Their potential was dangerous, and Percy feared the Greeks would fall to their might and power.

Another part of this, Percy knew, was his fatal flaw. He thinks he knows best for someone. He assumes positions of control without realizing it, yet shies away when he doesn't care. It made him angry sometimes because he felt as though he could have formed people into better generals and commanders even though each individual should have their own chance to grow into who they wanted to be.

Percy was always relaxed with Achilles because they hadn't been born _so_ far apart; however, in the cases of Leonidas, Themistocles, and Alexander, they had been born such a long time after him that society had changed and influenced their beliefs.

Under the alias of a man named Homer, Percy published the stories of the Trojan War and the Odyssey to help create a Greek unity amongst demigods and mortals alike. But unlike what he had to go through, the men of the Archaic, Classical and Hellenistic Greece had to contend with the Persians, the Romans and the Carthaginians.

It was possible that Hannibal felt as though he had just pranced into the Carthaginian camp and claimed that he was an all-powerful being that could lead the army into battle and win. To Percy, that would be threatening to his authority and power, so he partially understood where Hannibal was coming from. But on the flip side, Percy _did_ know how to lead the army to win the battle just as much as Hannibal did.

He was sure that Hannibal would eventually make a fatal mistake that would end their partnership. The Romans, even with their sense of dignity and honor, still bribed and assassinated their rivals.

Publius Cornelius Scipio had definitely offered some intriguing deals. As for this moment, Percy wasn't dealing with Romans, though. His goal was to help Hannibal sack Rome.

"What about me?" Percy asked, catching the attention of the three commanders. "I'm good with horses. I may be able to help with the battle."

Hannibal scowled and looked at Maharbal. The cavalry commander shook his head in a sign that meant he was not going to take any part in the decision. Mago gave Hannibal the same look.

Turning back to Percy, Hannibal said bitingly, "You will lead the Numidian cavalry. Light horses. You know what the attack is."

"Circle around to the rear."

"Get saddled up."

At midday, Percy watched as the Roman troops lined up on the opposite side of the bank. He was on the right flank and appointed another commander on the left flank. Hannibal held the center with the heavier, more armored cavalry.

"They have around three thousand cavalry," he told Hannibal, who was on his horse pacing along the front of the army. "Looks like seven thousand velites. Shouldn't be too difficult of a battle."

"Right," Hannibal answered sharply. Looking upon the men, he shouted, "All right, men! This battle defines our survival in Italy! If we win, there will be tax-free land in Italy, Spain _or_ Africa! All Carthaginian allies will get citizenship! For the Numidians, the Gauls, the Celts, the Iberians and foreigners in this army, you will earn Carthaginian citizenship! And every single slave we capture will be set free! Are you ready for battle?!"

A loud, bellowing cheer erupted from the army's ranks.

Hannibal rode his horse to the center. "We prepare for battle!" Then slowly, he put on his helmet.

Percy put on his own helmet before summoning his bow. Resting his hands on the horse's back, he scanned the enemy lines. It was a rather Roman formation, which didn't work for cavalry. Acting as infantry, the cavalry would block off an attack to the thousands of velites that would be throwing javelins over their heads.

"Sweep around?" Percy shouted at Hannibal pointing at the Roman lines.

The Carthaginian nodded. At the other end, the Numidian commander gave Percy a strong look. The son of Poseidon nodded, and the man shouted out some orders.

Shouting out some of his own horses, he yelled, "All to my left, stay with Hannibal! All to my right will follow me!"

"Attack before they can set up!" shouted Hannibal. "Charge now! Everyone!"

Horns blew and immediately, the horses took off. Percy leaned down towards his own horse and said, "Be the wind."

Bolting off from a complete standstill, his horse darted forward. With a raging battle cry, half of his section of the cavalry followed him to the right of the plains.

As Hannibal's heavy cavalry began to collide with the Roman cavalry, Percy wheeled his section of the speedy Numidian cavalry to attack the velites with strength.

"Fire arrow!" he screamed in Greek. Reaching back for the flaming arrow, he nocked it and pulled the drawstring back. Then, aiming for the most clumped part of their army, he let the arrow fly. He took another fire arrow and fired it back into that same part of the army.

"Greek fire," he muttered next.

This arrow had a small pouch of Greek fire attached to the end that would burst into flames as soon as it made contact with something. The mix of the liquid inside was specially made so that it would affect mortals as well as legacies and demigods.

He aimed at the front line and let it fly. An explosion rocked the left flank of the velites. His contingent of cavalry was getting closer to contact with the left flank, and the Romans began hurling javelins at his troops now. Many fell but it wasn't war without death.

"Keep pressuring the outside!" Percy yelled just before the cavalry smashed into the velites sending them flying.

He told his horse to lob him off his back to propel him into battle. Mid-air, Anaklusmos and Aegis were out. He landed in the middle of the scrambling velites and began his specialty: swordplay.

Immediately after landing in their midst, he thrust his sword forward into the face of one enemy, his brains coming out with the sword. Blocking a javelin swipe from a velite from his rear, he slashed at his legs before smashing the butt of his sword on the velite's helmet. He beheaded the man before hacking his way further through the army.

With a wild battle cry, he fought his way right through the velites forces to the rear of the Roman cavalry. This bloodthirsty warrior's murders sent the light infantry fleeing. The Numidian cavalry saw them flee and began to close in on the rear of the Roman cavalry, letting the velites run away.

As the Numidian cavalry smashed into the rear flank of the cavalry, Percy pulled back and took his bow out. His sword and shield shimmering away, he took aim at Scipio. It was a blunt-tipped arrow aimed at the weakest part of the consul's helmet.

Percy put his bow away and took Anaklusmos and Aegis out as he watched the arrow smash into the side of the consul's head. Scipio fell without a second's pause falling hard to the ground. The cavalry around Scipio began to dismount as they saw their fallen leader. Percy wondered if Scipio was actually dead or not.

Jumping back into the fray, Percy began fighting the Roman infantry. Using their stabbing technique against them, he slit the throats of the many men he faced in combat. Shouting at the Roman horses to run into the countryside, he made sure that the horses didn't cause a problem.

"Charge forward!"

The Numidian cavalry wheeled around and ran away from the rear of the dismounting army. The heavy cavalry continued to push forward, trampling all over the infantry. Then, turning around once again, the Numidian cavalry smashed into the rear flank.

Some Romans escaped, but most died fighting, just the way Romans perceived combat: it is an honor to die fighting.

Percy wouldn't say that he led the charge on the Romans, but he would admit to himself that he was quite dominant on the field of battle. He knew he was everywhere at once. It was just his style of fighting.

"Percy!" cheered the Numidians. "Percy! Percy! Percy!"

Slowly, the cheer turned into a chant as he grabbed the last living Roman soldier. The man looked about thirty or forty with icy blue eyes. When the Celts and Iberians and Gauls began chanting, Percy leaned in closer to the man.

"Son of Jupiter, huh?" he muttered in a low tone. "Well, it looks like you're going to have to do better. Tell your friends I said hello."

Picking him up, Percy shoved him forward in the direction of the fleeing Romans. If death in battle was honorable to Romans, he wasn't going to give them the satisfaction. Added to that fact, he wouldn't have to deal with more killing. Bloodstained hands were what he had.

Turning to look at Hannibal, Percy noticed the baleful look the Carthaginian was giving him. It seemed to all register at that moment that everybody was chanting _his_ name instead of Hannibal's. For a moment, he thought about raising his hand and snapping his fingers, but he hesitated and instead dropped it to hop back onto his horse.

He hoped it wasn't a mistake that he would regret later.

* * *

Percy watched the eastern sky. He could barely make it out, but far in the distance, gleaming lights shone across the sky. The winter solstice had arrived.

His relationship with Hannibal could not have possibly gotten worse, and the gods were now half Roman, half Greek. Percy wasn't even sure whether they were Greek or Roman at this moment. It seemed more likely that they were Greek because although Zeus is stubborn, the Greek council is much more intelligent and well-spoken than the Roman council.

Percy knew the young Barcid was on his brother's side, and Maharbal was on Hannibal's side in this tense partnership. Actually, he would barely call it a partnership. All Percy really wanted was to see Rome get beat up a little. All Hannibal wanted was the complete and utter destruction of Rome. How would they say it in Latin? Oh yes, _Roma delenda est_.

If Hannibal were to attack Rome, it would be much like the Trojan War. There were no siege weapons that Hannibal had brought, so he would have to attack the walls with men. The only problem would be the fact that Roman armies were far less powerful during the times of Troy. Sure, the Trojans actually had some good warriors: Hector, Memnon (though he was also Ethiopian), and Aeneas. But their army as a whole wasn't that great. It's the opposite for the Romans. They have no outstanding warriors but good soldiers. The hastati were powerful.

Cunning and deceit would be needed to get into the city of Rome, and Percy knew the Romans weren't stupid. They wouldn't fall for the same trick twice.

"Ready?" Mago called to the one thousand infantry and one thousand cavalry at his command. "And charge!"

Bursting out of the forest, the hidden reserves under Mago Barca exploded in action. The cavalry swept in first, heading all the way to the far end. Percy was on foot as infantry and led a small contingent of Gallic men into battle.

As the barbaric men neared the enemy, Percy screamed, "Lock shields!"

Just as he thought, the Roman line they were approaching suddenly shifted as one. The front of the group continued with contact but the rear of the Romans turned so that they were in a square formation that covered all sides of contact.

Leading three hundred Gallic warriors, they locked shields and slammed into the Roman line. Their strength and size overtook the Roman soldiers, and the back line shuddered. It somehow managed to hold.

"Mago!" Percy shouted to the young Barcid in Punic. "Unorthodox!"

"Charge!" Mago yelled again understanding his message.

"All right, Gauls!" Percy said turning his attention back to the Romans. "Batter them! Use your advantages! Size and strength!"

A dozen men fell at the front, but the Gallic warriors kept pushing, attacking with brute force. The Romans were holding their own, though. The Gallic warriors were falling as much as the Romans were, which meant that either the Gauls weren't good enough warriors, or the Romans actually had a strategy for taking out men much larger than they were.

Cursing in Greek, Percy darted forward. "Follow my lead!"

Out sprang Anaklusmos and Aegis, and Percy smashed into the Roman line. Breaking through one man, he put his shield arm behind his back to protect himself against rear attacks and slit the throat of the Roman in front of him.

Just as his shield clanged, he spun around and smashed the butt of his sword against the helmet of the Roman behind him. Eyes vibrating, the man crumpled to the dust. Moving forward, the Gallic warriors behind him cleaned up the mess he made.

He attacked relentlessly, the cold and tired Romans falling heavily. Percy watched with a touch of empathy as life exited their bodies every time his sword struck.

He and the Gallic warriors grew into a battle rhythm now and forced their way through the enemy lines. Percy saw the Numidian cavalry wheeling around to get another charge in. Mago was doing exactly what Percy had recommended, the rest of the army changing battle styles in the middle of combat.

Hannibal's line pushed forward as well, compacting the Romans into a circle of death. Percy noted that in this battle, Scipio and his son were nowhere to be seen. Had they been killed, he would have known about it from the previous battle. Where were the Scipii?

It wasn't long before the battle was over. It was another crushing defeat for the Romans, and another excellent strategy by Hannibal Barca. This time, the Carthaginian did get much praise for his plan, though he didn't seem too happy about it.

What happened earlier that day was that just before dawn, a force of Numidian cavalry was sent across the Trebia River to throw javelins at the men on duty. The provocation worked and the Numidian cavalry retreated back across the river.

Ambitiously, Tiberius Sempronius Longus, the other consul, sent his army after them. Hannibal purposefully hid Mago and Percy from view of the main army. Since it was the season of Persephone's disappearance, everything was cold and dark. None of the Romans could see the trap being made.

Cold, tired and wet, the Romans crossed the Trebia River and walked straight into Hannibal's trap. They lined up like they usually did, but it was less effective because of their fatigue. Then, Mago and Percy sprang their trap which entangled the Romans amongst themselves. Trying to escape the carnage, they would often trip on each other rather than die honorably. The army was mainly made of inexperienced Italic and Roman infantry, so it was short.

Percy really couldn't understand why the Romans would disregard Hannibal's power. Their negligence would be the end of them. He knew it. Hannibal was by far the greatest strategist that Percy had ever met.

The Persians of the Achaemenid dynasty stood no chance against the Romans. They may have had numbers, but when used correctly, the Romans had far superior soldiers. Percy had seen Romans and Spartans fight: demigods and mortals. The Romans had won. The children of Ares had all been killed or routed.

The Persian immortals weren't that great warriors. They may have been feared, but Leonidas, son of Ares, managed to hold his own with his men. Percy had also fought them and realized that they were just slightly trained Persian warriors.

But the Battle of the Trebia was a success. Carthage had won the day.

* * *

**Hey everyone,**

**Hope you enjoy this chapter. Remember to tell me if you like it or not.**

**I apologize for any grammatical errors in the chapter above and if any historical facts are actually wrong. I have spent my time looking through different websites, and even a couple of books, but the story that will continue may have incorrect historical info. Still, I believe it just adds to the effect.**

**Thanks a bunch,  
SharkAttack719**


	5. IMPORTANT!

**This is VERY, VERY, VERY, VERY IMPORTANT. If you are reading this story, whether you are a guest or a FanFiction user, please read this following statement. I will try to keep it brief so you don't skip this.**

**Anyways, as I have been writing these short stories, my excitement for them is waning. Not too many of you have told me what to do; only twelve reviewed in the past chapter. So, personally, with some of the help of those who ****_did_**** review, I have chosen to put this story on hold. Like with my Percy Jackson Redone series, I can't come up with a way to make it exciting. I love ancient history, and I love ancient mythology, but it is hard for me to put those together.**

**Sometime soon, the first chapter, or prologue, for the PJO timeline part of the story will come out. Living Damnation may or may not update before then. Anyways, I hope this inconvenience doesn't spoil this for you, and if I ever get more inspiration for this, I will continue.**

**Many thanks,  
SharkAttack719**


	6. Everlasting Hero: The Rise of the Titans

**I have put "Everlasting Hero: The Rise of the Titans" up! Please go and read that until I can find motivation for this one! Thanks!**


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